Michael J. Englesbe, MD, has been named the chair of the Department of Surgery of the University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine, effective Nov. 1.
Englesbe, who is currently at the University of Michigan, is one of the nation’s leading transplant surgeons and an authority on building effective clinical programs, improving hospital quality and safety and reforming training environments.
At the University of Michigan, Englesbe serves as the Cyrenus G. Darling Sr. & Cyrenus G. Darling Jr. Professor of Surgery and section head and chief of Transplant Surgery. Serving as chief of Transplant Surgery, he has directed the statewide Collaborative Quality Initiative portfolio while leading multiple federally funded research initiatives all focused on making care better, safer, and more effective across the state of Michigan.
“I am exceptionally impressed by Dr. Englesbe’s outstanding work and excited that he will be bringing his expertise and enthusiastic commitment to building high-quality collaborative programs here to the Anschutz campus,” says John Sampson, MD, PhD, MBA, vice chancellor for Health Affairs and dean of the School of Medicine. “We look forward to his contributions to growing our programs for the benefit of all patients, researchers, and trainees. Dr. Englesbe has all the traits we are looking for in leaders: rigor, operational excellence, and a strategic mindset.”
Englesbe earned his undergraduate degree in biology at Yale University and medical degree at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Jersey. He completed residency in general surgery at the University of Michigan Health System, a surgical research fellowship at the University of Washington Medical School, and a fellowship in multi-organ transplantation at University of Michigan Health System. He has been a member of the University of Michigan faculty since 2004.
Englesbe is principal investigator, mentor, or collaborator on more than $140 million in sponsored research grants and contracts. His scholarship includes more than 390 peer-reviewed publications, multiple authored books, and articles in influential policy outlets, including Harvard Business Review and New England Journal Catalyst.
As chief of Transplant Surgery, Englesbe has had a remarkable success in improving operational efficiency. Over his four years of leadership, he has organized the team, expanded the section’s clinical and research scope, aligned with institutional priorities, and transformed the culture. The transplant team has achieved record-breaking volume for three consecutive years.
Englesbe was appointed director of the Michigan Collaborative Quality Initiative Portfolio in 2020. The initiative includes more than 300 full-time staff and 50 faculty. It establishes value-based reimbursement opportunities for physicians and hospitals across Michigan. By aligning stakeholders, Englesbe and the team have created a remarkable resource. For example, an effort to reduce excessive opioid prescribing resulted in a 75% reduction across all surgical specialties.
“Growth is possible only when people feel valued, heard, and connected to a larger mission,” says Englesbe. “Perhaps the most important trait I bring to this opportunity is the ability to create a uniquely effective team culture by modeling specific behaviors. My teams are built on sincerity, honest conversation, respectful accountability, and psychological safety. I foster collaboration across disciplines, encourage innovation in the face of resource constraints, and create environments where thoughtful debate and intellectual risk-taking are welcomed.”
In partnership with UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital and Children’s Hospital Colorado, CU Anschutz has strong transplant surgery and transplant medicine programs.
Earlier this year, UCHealth announced that the program has performed more than 10,000 transplant surgeries since 1962. The health system continues to invest in breakthrough technology and its partnership with CU to ensure that the largest comprehensive transplant center in the Rocky Mountain region remains the leading destination for care.
At Children’s Hospital Colorado, the Pediatric Transplant Program has been saving lives for decades and has become one of the top programs in the country, with excellent survival rates that are consistently higher than the national average and low wait times. For example, the hospital’s survival rate for 3 years after kidney transplant is 100% and wait time is more than one year shorter than the national benchmark.
“I am excited to help lead the renowned CU Anschutz transplant program to its rightful place as a Top 10 program in the country,” Englesbe says. “It is a tremendous honor to be named chair of Surgery at CU Anschutz, and I will pursue the role with ambition, vision, and heart.”
Sampson thanked Robert McIntyre, Jr., MD, chief of the Division of GI, Trauma, and Endocrine Surgery and vice chair of finance for the Department of Surgery, who has served as interim chair since Jan. 1. Sampson also expresses gratitude to the search committee, led by Naresh Mandava, MD, chair of Ophthalmology and senior associate dean for Strategic Advancement, and Shanta Zimmer, executive vice dean for Education at the CU Anschutz School of Medicine.
